ANYBODY BURNT OUT A 6.5 BARREL?? 47L, Creedmore especially.

[camac]

Hi guys,
In order to piece together some more information on barrel burning theories I would like to pose the question.
Has anyone burned out a 6.5*47 or Creedmore barrel yet? If so can you provide your load data and approximate shot timing. In particular it would be good to have any high pressure loads (say 139-142's at 2850-2950 fps or 123's at 3050-3150fps) shot in slow style as in F class.

260 or 6.5*55 or 6.5*284 info would also be helpful.

 

[GSSP]

No burn out. Only 900+ rounds in 6.5x47 using 130 Berger VLD's at 2800 fps using 40.25 gr H4350. But, .079" throat erosion. Not what you wanted, sorry, but it might help.

Alan

PS, Wanted to add that my accuracy is great, running sub 1/2 MOA out to 800 so far. Also, I'll attribute some of my wear to fast shooting. I compete in sniper/tactical matches and sometimes am running 8-10 rounds in 30-60 seconds.

 

[15Tango]

Same as Alan, I haven't burned out this barrel yet. I don't have a definite round count but It should be in the 800-1000 neighborhood and my throat's moved out .045". That's on a Creedmoor.

Most loads have been pretty hot, I was pushing 142 SMKs, 140 VLDs and 140 AMaxes out at 2950 FPS, mostly fired slow. I was running 123 Scenars at 3220 FPS as well. Almost all of it was done with R17 or H4350. I've recently started dialing things down a bit and I'm using just H4350 now.

Even with the wear I have it seems to be shooting as good as it ever has. I'm contemplating when I'm going to order a new barrel though and I'm having a hard time picking between Krieger and Broughton, either will be 5R.

Wayne

 

[Raptor]

I have shot out a couple of 260 barrels. I used both as tactical rifles and shot them in matches. When shooting matches the barrels got pretty damn hot a couple of times esp man on man matches at 100+ temps.

Both barrels were junk at around 2000 to 2300rds. The one barrel I still have is black for 8" up the barrel and looks like a dried up lake bed on the inside. It was a 26" originally and as a test I had 4"s cut off the rear to 22" to see if I could shoot to 1000yds with a short barrel. It outshot the original rifle to 700yds but opened up from 800 to 1000yds. I only shot if for another 700 or so rounds and then took it off. I used 38.5grs of Varget with 140s and as I recall it was in the 2800fps range for velocity. Its been to long now.

My current 260 has around 2800rds through it. I don't shoot maches anymore but do a lot of shooting. I try not to let this one get to hot. I had this one set back at just over 1800rds and then switched to shooting 123s in it at 2990 to 3000fps. It loves the 123s with H4350.

I also went through a couple of 6.5x284 barrels. I loved them but they didn't last me long enough. My first one went at around 1200rds. The next one I had around 1400+rds on when it went south.

I had it bore scoped by H&S Precisions barrel maker (JR) when he was there. I had around 1100rds on it when I came back from a match in Wyoming. He said it was just starting to show some throat wear and if I kept shooting the way I was should go close to another 1000rds. (I never got this gun hot to the point I could not hold my hand on the barrel.) I was very careful with it. The next year I was laid up so my son took it to Wyoming and I told him NO man on man crap with my gun. Well he did and in less than 400rds later it was junk. Went from a .3 to a.7 gun in less than 400rds. I shot H4831 in the 6.5x284s at around 2980fps.

So I had it rebarreled to a 6.5X55 and its at 1400+ going strong. Hope this helps!!

Wayne, I don't understand how you guys get the number you do with the 140s. I always started loosing primer pockets way before that. I have tried the RL17 with the 123s and was getting close to 3100 with one load but the accuracy wasn't there.

 

[15Tango]

Raptor,

I couldn't do it with Hornady brass, Lapua only and R17. R17 didn't give as good of accuracy or ES/SD as the cooler loads with 4350 so that's why I dumped using R17. Just as you said, the accuracy wasn't there at those speeds. R17 gave me a lot of unexplained fliers and the best I could get for SD was around 9 or 10; with 4350 I'm getting ES in the single digits and the fliers are gone.

Wayne

 

[camac]

Thanks heaps for the info guys. All very good and keep it coming.

Wayne it would be interesting to borescope your rifle and definately keen to hear how long that one lasts. 6.5*284 velocities with much less powder but high pressure.

I know a few guys that get well over 2000 out of 260's and 6.5*55's in F class here. It will be very interesting over the next year or so to see how these newer chamberings go with regards to barrel life.

 

[Mark Walker in TX]

I shot out (at least for match usage) 2 6.5x47 barrels so far. Both went right about 2200 before they started loosening up.

Both were using 38 or so of Varget, Berger & JLK 130s, both about 2950.

 

[15Tango]

Camac,

I'm looking at running this barrel next season then having it replaced next Winter when I don't do as much shooting. I'd love to borescope it as well, I don't have one and I'm not prepared to invent in one of the good ones at this point. I wonder if those cheap ones from Cabela's would be worth it?

Wayne

 

[camac]

Thanks Mark, Great data and spot on to where I would expect.
Wayne, I don't know much about borescopes but most guys over here tha have one will look down your barrel for a reasonable price. For me it isn't worth the price either, I can take off a barrel and send it to town and for a few dollars get a good report. Cheers and thanks all for the help. Keep it coming.
Cam

 

[Raptor]

Mark,
Its intresting that your barrels went about as rounds as my 260s. It just seems to prove that the 260,6.5x47 and the Creedmore are pretty much all the same.

Alot of guys are claiming they are going to get more rounds out of their 6.5x47s because they are using smaller cases and the Creedmore guys claim they have the better shoulder angle and the longer neck so they will last longer.

It all boils down to how hard you push them. THere is no free lunch as they say. You push a 6.5x55 to the same speeds as a 6.5x284 and the barrel life will be about the same. If you push it around 2650 you can get over 4000rds out of it. Its all what you want and what your willing to pay for.

I just ordered a Broughton 7mm barrel for my old 260 for when it goes south on me. Since I am not competing anymore and I don't get it as hot I am sort of in a unknown area for what it will actually go for rounds before it goes south on me.

By the way I took my old 260 out yesterday that now has over 2800rds through it (Had it set back at 1800+ rounds) and used it as a test gun against my new 260 for load testing. (I always like to make sure its not me having a bad day shooting or enviormental conditions when I do long range testing) My "Wore out" 260 shot a 3 shot group at 400yds that measured 1.5"s then later on I shot another one with it to check conditions again and it measued 1.22" then the last one went into .75 at 400yds!! This nine shot group would have been into around a 2.5" group if the wind hadn't moved my last group over a couple of inches. But the first 6 were in a group right at 2"s with about a 1+" vertical spread.

I then decided to try my steel target at 1000yds and dinged it 3 out of three times. You could place you hand over the three shot group so its still shooting well at long range. I may be waiting awhile before it gets rebarreled at this rate.

 

[camac]

So Raptor, What is your standard load for the 260. How hard are you pushing it to get those sort of miles.

 

[Raptor]

Camac,
For the first 1800+rds I used 140AMAXs and used 38.5grs of Varget. Since the set back I have switched to Lapua 123s and 43.5grs of H4350.

I had always had really good luck with the Varget and the 140AMAXs. All of my 260s shot this load or a variation of it extreamly well. I had a friend on another sight talk me into trying the 123s and my gun loved them!!! I cronographed the load and it was in the 2980 to 2995fps range out of my gun with a single digit spread.

My soninlaws 260 likes my old varget load and my sons 260 shoots both loads into nice little groups. My new 260 is pickier it only likes Varget and not H4350. I use 40.5grs of Varget with the 123s in it.

My old 260 is not picky at all. I tried RL17 in it and it shot 123s into the .3s and .4s at over 3000+fps but I didn't want to shoot the barrel out any faster than I needed to and was plenty happy with my H4350 load.

 

[johara1]

My 47 has 2200 rds. and it looks great, 130's @2950 with 41 gr. RL-17 shooting low 2's when scoped. throat adv. around .003, bore is great very slight signs of fire cracking.......jim

 

[jps2]

My 6.5x47L barrel still shot well at 2800 rounds, 139gr scenar @ 845m/s and 123gr scenar @ 880m/s (both moly bullet)
Had used Vihta N540 but get back to N150/N140 because of heat developed by N5xx.

 

[camac]

Thankyou guys, all great information, please keep it coming (thats 2772fps and 2887 fps thanks JpS)